April 22, 2023

How Alcohol affects your Health  

Alcohol effects, Alcohol side effects, harmful effects of alcohol, side effects of alcohol, alcohol health effects, alcohol is injurious to health, Alcohol body effects.

What is Alcohol?

Well, isn’t alcohol the first thing that most people drink to relax and socialise? As a fact, Alcohol can be used as part of a healthy lifestyle but that is only when you drink it in moderation along with other healthy habits that include a good diet and daily exercise. Another major fact is that alcohol affects physical and mental health of beings which is why it is also sometimes said that alcohol is injurious to health.

Why is Alcohol considered a serious Health Issue?

The amount of alcohol that one consumes is what defines whether it is harmful or not. Drinking alcohol heavily can put you at the risk of many short-term & long-term injuries and illness.

Below are some short-term side affects of alcohol

  • Dizziness
  • Loss of Coordination
  • Memory Loss
  • Lack of Judgement
  • Headaches
  • Vomiting
  • Accidental Injuries
  • Hangover
  • Road Accidents
  • Deliberate harming yourself
  • Alcohol Poisoning

These short-term side effects of alcohol include both physical and mental harmful affects of alcohol.

Drinking everyday can lead to serious mishaps over your lifetime, including addiction, and dependence in people who already have anxiety or depression. In some cases, it can also lead to suicides. Below are some long-term side affects of alcohol

  • Brain: The consumption of alcohol affects the brain as quickly as you take the first sip. Not only does drinking cause a temporary complication but it also leads to loss of memory and coordination which further lead to long-term side effects that are sometimes even irreversible. Excessive drinking on alcohol can intervene with the functioning of the brain. This damage to the brain, especially on the cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and the limbic system affects the body’s communication pathways.
  • Heart: The heart in the human body is one of the most vulnerable body parts that can be majorly affected by alcohol. Over drinking on alcohol can weaken the heart, thus impacting the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to other vital organs of our body. This is because excessive drinking increases triglyceride levels (a type of fat) in the body which can lead to heart diseases, high blood pressure, stroke, sudden cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy and even diabetes.
  • Liver: Alcohol like we all know can create some life-threatening liver problems. This is because drinking too much of alcohol in a short span of time has a chance of overwhelming the metabolism process which leads to a fatty liver and that is a chronic condition in which bad fats keep building up in the Liver. This can give rise to obesity, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, fibrosis and Type 2 diabetes. All these diseases can be too emotionally and financially draining to treat.
  • Pancreas: The pancreas which forms a part of the digestive and that controls the level of good sugar comes under huge pressure while the body is consuming in too much of alcohol daily. Alcohol abuse causes the blood vessels around the pancreas to swell and also leads to pancreatitis which further makes you vulnerable pancreatic cancer. Drinking can also impact on the pancreas to give rise to problems like diarrhoea, nausea, fever, fast heart rate, and abdominal pains.
  • Stomach: Having too much of alcohol to drink can lead to risk of stomach ulcers or stomach/bowel cancer.
  • Fertility: Some common scientific researchers have found that a regular heavy drinking can reduce the levels of testosterone, sperm count, and fertility in males. While in females, too much to drink can affect their periods which can have further deadly implications.

Alcohol is injurious to health and this is definitely not a myth because drinking can even cause death. No level of alcohol consumption can ever be considered safe for anyone.

Still Wondering How does Alcohol affect your Health? Well, here is how…

  • Right after you sip alcohol, it races into the brain. This in turn slows down the chemicals and disrupts the pathways of communication in our system which ultimately alters the mood, throws away the balance and slows down reflexes.
  • Booze can sometimes affect how your brain looks or works. This means that alcohol can affect on your ability to think, learn, and remember things. It also has the ability to make you doze off easily after you drink too much but remember, it will not let you sleep properly. This is because the body processes alcohol throughout the night and once the effect wears off, it makes you feel ill.
  • Having too much to drink leads to more stomach acid, diarrhea, heartburn, change in body temperature, a weaker immune system, hormone imbalance, etc…

Acid in the stomach makes your digestive juices flow by irritating the lining of the stomach. In some rare cases enough acid and alcohol build ups can even lead to vomiting. Worse, it can even cause ulcers. Wanting to use the bathroom again and again is also one of the many side effects of alcohol. It is because, the brain gives off on the hormones that keep the kidney from making urine. This also means that you might end up dehydrated.

How to avoid or reduce side effects of Alcohol?

The only best way to avoid side effects of alcohol on the body is to not drink alcohol at all. In any case, if you still choose to drink alcohol then you must keep it on a very low-level only so as to avoid its side effects on the body.

For any other general health-related queries, you can easily reach out to our experts at the Lifeline Laboratory. You can also call us or reach out to us online.

Don’t forget to book your online blood test which can help your doctor in analyzing more about your health conditions. So, stay safe and healthy by adapting to a healthy lifestyle.

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